Locking-clamp.



L. c. TINGLEY.

I LOOKING CLAMP.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 6, 1910 RENEWED JAR. 17, 1912.

WITNESSES: INVENTOH 8. 3. dw Zeomrd 6'. 7527/ 7.

A TTORIVEY u/WZ MW Application o a 35 key LnonAnn o. TINGLEY,

. nnonn ISLAND.

To all whom it may concern:

1 Be it known that I, Lnonano C- TINGLEY, a citizen of the United Statesot America, residing at the city of Providence, in the county of Providence and State of lthode Island, have invented certain new and usc'tul Improvements in l Joeking-Ulamps, of which the following is a specification, reference bcinghad therein to the accompanying drawing.

This invention relates 'to locking clamps and refers especially to devicesfor locking flexible material to rods or bars on which such material is hung.

The especial object of the invention is to provide means for securing against theft such articles as robes and garments when i the latter are left in an unoccupied vehicle such as an automobile.

Many vehicles, and. particularly automobiles, are provided with rods adapted to support robes or other flexible articles, such as wraps and emits. Such a rod is usually attached at both ends to the back of'the front seat of an automobile, the straight portion of the rod being suj'iportcd 'far enough from said back to permit folded robes and gurments to be hung over it. it the vehicle is left standing, such articles are liable to be V stolen.

1' Myinvention therefore consists in a lock 7 having jaws adapted to grasp the article and clamp it on the supporting rod, the jaws being then separable only after the use of a to unlock or release them from their clamping position,

"With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel "features of construction, as will be more fully dc- JAG scribed and particularly pointed out in the ap ended claims.

. n the accompanying drawings: .l igure l is a front elevation of a clamp or lock embodying my invention. Fig. 2 repre- 1145 sents a section on line 'Q-Q of Fig. 1. Fig.

3. is a side elevation of a key shaped to -release or unlock the clamp. Fig. t is a ,PEYSPQCUVB view of the device in position,

, flocking a robe on a bar, ll igs. 5 and (3 I are detail face viewsof the toothed disks and their carrying members. Fig. 7-- is a I detail, enlarged, of the interlocking teeth of .the dlSkS. Figs. 8 and 9-- are side elevaqtions of the upper portions of the two j aws,

is a'rnntr onFIoE.

OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO M. A. N. MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF IROVIDENCE,

RHODE ISLAND, A CORPORATION OF LOCKING-CLAMP.

Specification of Letters Patent.

filed September 6, 1910, Serial No. 580,654. Renewed January 17, 1912. Serial No. 671,567.

separated. Fig. 10- represents a section'on line 10--10 of Fig. 5.

Similar reference characters indicate the same or similar parts in all of the views.

The two jaws 1.0, 11, which are pivotally connected by the locking mechanism presently described, are curved and have their outer ends or tips preferably corrugated or formed with teeth as indicated at 12 in Fig,v

2 the teeth alternating with each other in the manner of a suture so as to prevent the fabric of the article from being drawn later ally out from between the lips of the jaws. The jaw 10 is formed with an integral cylindrical portion hereinafter referred to as the barrel 13, said barrel having one end closed as at 14., said closed end having a key hole The barrel is transversely slotted to receive the ring 16 which is integral with jaw 11. The internal diameter of the portion of the barrel 13 next the bottom or closed end 14 is less than that portion the other side of the slot.- To distinguish be tween these portions, the one of lesser di ameter will be referred to as the cup, and the one of larger diainctc as the ring 24. in other words, the barrel 13 of jaw 10 presents a cup and a ring separated by a slot in which the ring'ltl of jaw 11 fits.

Fitted in the cup of barrel 13 is a disk 17. having a plurality of recesses in which are mounted springs 18 hearing against the bottom or closed end 14 of the barrel so as to have a tendency to press the disk away from said bottom. Pins 19 engaging recesses in the margin of the disk and the inner wall of the cup prevent the disk from rotating in the cup while permitting it to move to and from the bottom thereof. The "face of the disk is formed with a circular series of fine radial teeth 20, and is recessed or depressed inside said circular series. The disk formed with a key hole 21 which registers with the key hole 15 in the bottom or closed end of the barrel. At one side of the key hole-the inner face of the disk is inclined to form a cam face 22 for a purpose presently described This disk willbe referred to as the cam disk. Another disk 23 is fitted in the ring 2% of jaw 10 and ring 16 of jaw 11 and is secured in the ring '16 by one or more pins or screws 35. Said disk 23 has a thickness to occupy both rings, and since the ring 261 can rotate too as,at.26, has a central socket to receive the.

end of a key 27, and the-face of the disk around the recess 26 -is formed with a circular series of radial teeth 28.

The teeth 20 and 28 have abrupt-sides and inclined sides as indicated on an enlarged scale in Fig 7, and face in opposite directions -'so that they will slip past each other in one relative direction of rotation, but interlock in the other direction. As the springs 18 permit the cam disk 17 to yield awayfrom the cap disk 23, the slip of the 20 teeth past each other will be automatic.

The direction in which the teeth face is such that this slip occurs when the jaws of the device are being closed, and the teeth will then automatically interlock at whatever point the closing action stops according to the thickness of material that is grasped between the-jaws. And since the jaw 10 can not rotate on disk 17' and jaw 11 cannot rotate on disk 23, said jaws willbe locked in their closed position. To release'the jaws, a suitable key 27 is inserted in the hole provided therefor, and turned so that, as it rides up cam surface 22, it withdraws disk 17 toward the bottom of the cup, against "the pressure of springs 18, andso separates the two series of teeth from each other and unlocks the device, the jaws beingthen pulled apart to release whatever is grasped thereby. v

40 'Whenthe parts are assembled as shown .in-Figs. 1 and 2, and the pins or screws 25 inserted to place, they are held so because the ring '16 of jaw 11 is between cup'l3 and ring 24 of jaw 10, and the disk 23 holds 15 them in the-manner of the pintle of a hinge. Upon inserting akey of the proper shape and turning it,.the wing 29 thereof acts on cam 22 to press the disk 17 away from disk 23, thus separating their teeth. The jaws 00 may then be' opened as widely as desired and the key removed- Supposing a robe a, or a garment, is hung over a rod or'bar b,

which maybe the usual robe rail, or even a foot rail, the device is applied as indicated in Fig. 4 and the jaws pressed. firmly against the fabric, binding it on the rod. The teeth 20, 28 ride over each-other and interl0ck,'

owing to the springs 18. After this, the

- robe can only be removed after having first inserted the. keyfand turned it, and after the jaws have been pulled apart as indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 1. It will now be understood that the two disks, with their circular series of teeth, one being movable to and from the other, said disk being connected to a jaw so that the two disks relatively move rotatively in unison with the jaws, constitute a ratchet mechanism which permits the jaws to close and become locked against spreading at any point ac- 7 cording to the'amount or thickness of material grasped by the jaws; and that from such point the jaws can only be opened by means of a key used to spread the; disks apart to disconnect their teeth so that said ratchet mechanism becomes inoperative.

It is to be understood that by the word key in the specification and claims 1 mean any instrument or mechanism by which the lock may be operated.

Since the device illustrated, or any obvious modifications thereof, may be employed to clamp other articlesthan robes, and whether or not the articles are hung on a rod or bar, I do not limit myself to any special use of the device.

I claim: a 1. A device of' the character described comprising jaws pivoted together, and locking mechanism for holding them against spreading from either one of a plurality of positions, said locking mechanism being iidapted to be released by the action of a zey. f

2. A clamp comprising a pair of jaws, a hub pivot-ally connecting them, and locking mechanism for holding the jaws against spreading from either one of a plurality of positions, said hub constituting a portion of the locking mechanism, the device being provided. with means to permit the operation'of a key to release th'eilocking mechanism. I

3. A clamp comprising jaws pivoted together, ratc iet mechanism 'for permitting the jaws to close while preventing themfrom spreading, and a, key for rendering said ratchet mechanism inoperative.

4. A clamp comprising jaws pivoted to gether, ratchet mechanism for permitting 0 the jaws to close while preventing them from spreading, and a key for rendering 1 said ratchet mechanism inoperative, said ratchet mechanism comprisinga disk havingv a circular series of teeth and connected to a jaw to oscillate therewith, one of said disks,

being yieldingly mounted to permit the;l.. f

teeth to be disengaged by said key. I

5.;A clamp comprlslng a pair of jawshaving cylindrical bearing portions. in axial, alinement, a pair of disks each having a circular series of teeth, each disk being secured non-rotatively in. one of said cylindrical portions, one disk being .movable toward and from the other, and means whereby said movable disk may be disengaged from the other by a key. a

6. A robe'clamp comprising a pair of jawsr iia ving cylindrical bearing portions in axial a1inement a pair of'djsks h h ..,13o

ing a circular series of teeth, each disk being secured non-rotatively in one of said cylindrical portions, one disk being movable toward and from the other, sprlngs normally pressin the movable disk toward the other, and a icy for pressing the movable disk away from the other.

7. A robe clamp comprising a pair of jaws having cylindrical bearing portions a disk having a circular series of teeth and fixed in one cylindrical portion, a second disk having a circular series of teeth mounted to move longitudinally but not rotatively in the cylindrical portion of the other jaw and havlng a cam surface, means'for yieldingly pressing the movable disk toward the other, and a key for acting on said cam sur face to withdraw the movable disk from the other one.

. In testimony whereof I aflix my signature 20 in presence of two witnesses.

LEONARD C. TINGLEY.

Witnesses:

HOWARD E. BARLOW, E. I. OGDEN. 

